They Love the Jerk

This is a bit of a cart-horse situation. I'm a big fan of the singer-songwriter John Hiatt. This is a guy with an incredible story and a gift for telling it and connecting while doing so. (Do not miss the chance to attend his concerts if you are an R&R fan.) I'm neurotic enough to try to keep a record of my disks, and in terms of numbers, Hiatt lags behind only Dylan in collection (Beatles, Stones, and Van Morrison just back). You'd probably have learned that at some point anyway as this blog evolves, but ideally with a bit more graceful setup. How I became a fan, etc.

Anyway, that horse will have to wait. The point here is that I'm agitating for a new cover of Hiatt's "She Loves the Jerk," a truly great hymn to unrequited love. With apologies to any of you Hiatt devotees, here are some key lyrics:

He was a guy always out on the make
I guess he had what it takes
To turn the heads of pretty girls
She thought he would change
The worst of us will settle down
But he wouldn't stay out of town
Not even for this precious pearl
Now she lives with the lies and the bumps and the bruises.

He's a no-good so and so
But she'll never let him go
Though she knows it will never work
She loves the jerk.

He's never gonna change
Oh love is strange
She'll never let him go
I know I know I know I know
She's never gonna see
She'd be better off with me
He's never gonna change
Whoa love is strange.

Now, I could use some help. Anyone know if John Kerry has a musical agent?

[from Hiatt's '83 classic "Riding With the King," produced by Nick Lowe]